MUNDELEIN, Ill., March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Medline Industries, Inc. and 3M Health Care announce an exclusive license and supply agreement for 3M's electrosurgical patient plates in the United States. Under this agreement, Medline has acquired the exclusive license and sales rights in the United States for 3M's electrosurgical patient plates and accessories. Included are the 1100 series electrosurgical patient plates and the 9100 series universal patient plates with proprietary safety ring. This product line will be sold under the Medline brand.

3M brand patient plates are featured in national group purchasing contracts and are currently sold through several distribution channels. Medline will continue to support all sales channels and build upon the great relationships 3M has established with health care customers to ensure optimal supply costs and allow these customers to maintain their focus on patient safety.

Commenting on the agreement, Andy Mills, Medline president said, "It is one of those great marriages where our organization offers a strong nationwide sales network and complete offering of complementary electrosurgical products. 3M's reputation is unprecedented and we are very happy to have the responsibility to grow a high-quality product that has a proven performance and key benefits."

Chuck Kummeth, vice president and general manager, 3M Medical Division added, "By leveraging the strength of Medline's selling organization, we're able to focus on continued innovation and manufacturing excellence. Together, we can offer health care professionals a high quality, total solution in electrosurgery. We look forward to working with Medline now and in the future."

Also known as electrosurgical grounding pads or patient return electrodes, patient plates are intended to safely return electrical current from patients back to the generator during electrosurgical procedures. 3M has been supplying electrosurgical patient plates to the health care industry for 28 years, and has brought innovative, proprietary technologies to the product line. One example is the 3M green Safety Ring technology available on the Universal Pad, which keeps the maximum temperature of the patient's skin at a level similar to traditional pads that are up to 33 percent larger, while still meeting the AAMI Maximum Safe Temperature Rise criteria (AAMI Standard HF18:2001, Section 4.2.3.1).

About Medline Industries, Inc.

Medline Industries, Inc. is America's largest privately held national manufacturer and distributor of health care supplies and services. Medline manufactures and distributes more than 100,000 medical products, encompassing medical-surgical items and one of the largest textile lines in the industry. With six manufacturing facilities in North America and more than 25 joint venture manufacturing plants worldwide, Medline sells in every state and in more than 20 countries. Medline provides products and services to the entire continuum of care, including hospitals, extended care facilities, surgery centers, commercial laundries, home care dealers, home care agencies, physician offices and other alternate care sites. For more information, visit our Web site, http://www.medline.com.

About 3M Health Care

3M Health Care, one of 3M's six major business segments, provides world-class innovative products and services to help health care professionals improve the practice, delivery and outcome of patient care in medical, oral care, drug delivery and health information markets.

About 3M

A recognized leader in research and development, 3M produces thousands of innovative products for dozens of diverse markets. 3M's core strength is applying its more than 40 distinct technology platforms -- often in combination -- to a wide array of customer needs. With $24 billion in sales, 3M employs 75,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 60 countries. For more information, visit http://www.3M.com.